Author: Caroline Dolan

JQUS Receives Top Awards from Built Environment Plus and American School & University

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

JQUS Receives Top Awards from Built Environment Plus and American School & University

Award

Photo Credit: Built Environment Plus

HMFH’s Josiah Quincy Upper School received top recognitions from Built Environment Plus (BE+) and American School & University Magazine (AS&U), taking home both Green Building of the Year and the People’s Choice Award at the BE+ Green Building Showcase and earning the coveted William W. Caudill Citation from AS&U’s Architectural Portfolio Awards.

The high-rise Josiah Quincy Upper School sets new standards for urban public school design rooted in educational excellence, community, sustainability, and occupant wellness. Despite the challenges of designing a full program middle high school on less than an acre of land, inventive design solutions transformed a zero lot line site to an award-winning educational facility that showcases the City of Boston’s commitment to its students, the Chinatown community, and the environment.

“This project does the most with the least. It supports the whole learner, addresses a broad set of sustainability issues, and fully leverages a challenging site and limited budget for maximum impact in an underserved community.”

Jury Comments | Built Environment Plus (BE+)
Green Building of the Year

As one of the first projects to open under the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools initiative and one of only eight public schools in the nation to achieve LEED v4.1 Platinum certification, JQUS’s holistic approach to sustainability balances strategies for energy efficiency, indoor air quality, educational and health equity, and climate resilience with the financial realities of a publicly funded project.

The Green Building of the Year award recognizes projects that exemplify an integrated approach such as JQUS, which stood out to the jury for its creative and thoughtful design solutions that contributed to notable social and environmental impacts. From leveraging the high-rise school’s verticality to draw fresh air for classrooms from well above the adjacent highways, to maximizing limited open space on this urban site with an accessible green roof, every design element supports the overarching goal of providing BPS students with the best possible educational opportunities in a healthy, welcoming, and resilient facility.

JQUS is HMFH’s third project to earn the BE+ Green Building of the Year award, a testament to our deep commitment to sustainable design. Previous HMFH projects to win Green Building of the Year include the net-positive energy Fales Elementary School in 2023 and Bristol County Agricultural High School in 2022.

Read more about sustainable design features at JQUS here: builtenvironmentplus.org/josiah-quincy-upper-school

BE+ People’s Choice Award

The celebration didn’t end at Green Building of the Year for JQUS: the middle high school also took home the 2025 People’s Choice Award, a project recognition selected by the BE+ community each year during the showcase! Attendees were given bright green stickers and asked to vote for their favorite project based on the 68 award submissions on display. Designed to support and uplift not only Boston students but members of the surrounding Chinatown community with venues for community programs, custom graphics inspired by Chinatown, and public pocket parks, we were thrilled that JQUS also resonated with the BE+ community.

Read more about JQUS and other innovative and impactful projects recognized at the BE+ Green Building Showcase: builtenvironmentplus.org/gbs25-winners

Photo Credit: Built Environment Plus

“This project demonstrates how a student-first approach makes the most of every opportunity to enhance the learning experience and to enrich shared school culture.”

Jury Comments | American School & University (AS&U)
AS&U William W. Caudill Citation

The annual American School & University Magazine Architectural Portfolio Awards celebrate educational design excellence among public and private schools of all levels, nationwide. The highest award for a K-12 facility, the William W. Caudill citation recognizes school projects that exemplify the same commitment to furthering educational design as the award’s namesake.

For JQUS, creating exceptional and diverse educational opportunities for Boston Public Schools students guided both the process and project. The new middle high school provides a healthy, welcoming, and secure learning environment where students can flourish. A variety of academic spaces range from classrooms and labs to facilities for specialty programs including robotics and food technology. Notable public-facing spaces include a 437-seat auditorium with overhead lighting designed as a starry night sky, a 10,000 sf gymnasium that projects out over the sidewalk to maximize space usage, and a soaring, light-filled dining and gathering area, which features a multi-story mural inspired by the school’s mascot and surrounding neighborhood.

See JQUS and other award-winning schools featured in the magazine’s November 2025 issue: issuu.com

HMFH Named to AIA New England’s List of Emerging Professional Friendly Firms for 2025

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

HMFH Named to AIA New England’s List of Emerging Professional Friendly Firms for 2025

HMFH’s designation as an AIA New England Emerging Professional Friendly Firm is a testament to our continued support of young designers as they develop in their careers through internal initiatives and an inclusive work environment that promotes mentorship and open communication.

Taking cues from our work as educational designers, HMFH has built a culture of learning and collaboration in which feedback and creative exploration are actively encouraged at all levels. The result? Strong continuity of staff and young professionals who feel empowered to share their design ideas and take risks as they grow as architects and designers.

HMFH applies a three-pronged approach to ensure that emerging professionals have the necessary resources to thrive at HMFH and beyond. We actively support young designers on their path to licensure and pursuing other relevant registrations, encourage involvement in both internal committees and professional organizations outside of the firm, and provide consistent mentorship opportunities.

“Even as a young designer with much more experience ahead of me to come, I have always felt supported to take the next step in my design career and pursue my specific passions, from exploring technology advancements in VR, to fighting for equity in the profession by helping to develop internship programs and working toward a JUST Label for the firm.”

Soha Mohammed-Eltaher | Designer, HMFH Architects
Path to Licensure
  • Access to ARE training materials including Amber Books
  • Regular in-office study groups
  • AXP supervisors and mentors
  • Emerging professionals are encouraged to pursue other certifications including LEED, PHIUS, and WELL
Involvement
  • Emerging professionals are deeply involved in internal committees including the Racial Equity and Diversity (RED) Committee, Sustainability Committee, and Design & Visualization Committee (DVC)
  • Emerging professionals are actively involved in organizations throughout the design community including the BSA Green Roof and Infrastructure Team (GRIT), the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), and the BE+ Emerging Professionals Group
  • Professional development allowance to encourage attendance of conferences and relevant events, most recently the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design
Mentorship
  • Emerging professionals are actively involved in the design process from feasibility through closeout, at projects of all scales
  • Annual comprehensive reviews
  • Real-time feedback training to encourage a culture of open communication
  • Specific roles on project teams such as our newly implemented Sustainability Advocate role encourage emerging professionals to take on additional responsibility and work closely with the firm Sustainability Leaders
  • Open and inviting firm atmosphere in which leadership is involved and accessible in the daily office operations

Prioritizing Well-Being in Affordable Housing at Dan’s Place

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Prioritizing Well-Being in Affordable Housing at Dan’s Place

Article

by Rachel Coon
originally published in Green Building & Design Magazine

Story at a Glance
  • Dan’s Place became the first project completed and opened under Cambridge’s new Affordable Housing Overlay zoning ordinance, which streamlines the process for developing more affordable housing.
  • Finding value in the old and new, HMFH Architects proves renovating an existing historic building and designing a modernized sustainable project are not contradictory goals.
  • From the airtight envelope and resilient flooring to the rooftop design and preserved trees, minimizing the project’s carbon footprint was considered in every detail.

According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress, “the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2024 was the highest ever recorded.” More than 700,000 people were reported to be staying in emergency shelters, safe havens, transitional housing programs, or in unsheltered locations.

That’s why the need for affordable housing is greater than ever—and why HMFH Architects partnered with Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) in Massachusetts to help meet those needs.

“Every community needs a certain minimal amount of affordable housing, and the Cambridge Housing Authority passed that by decades ago—and they are still building affordable housing.”

Lori Cowles, Principal | HMFH Architects
History with a (Re)Purpose

Built as a convent in 1907, the building at 116 Norfolk was converted to affordable housing in the 1970s before its most recent incarnation as Dan’s Place, named in honor of former CHA Executive Director Daniel J. Wuenschel.

The renewal and expansion of Dan’s Place was timely. Design work began as the country was navigating a pandemic and CHA was looking to modernize, moving away from the more communal style of single-room occupancy with its lack of privacy. As neighbors to 116 Norfolk, HMFH’s design team eagerly stepped in.

The site presented immediate challenges. Part of the original building was deemed useless and needed to be removed, raising the question of how HMFH could maximize that space with a new addition. The site had land, a rarity in Cambridge and especially this dense residential neighborhood, which meant HMFH was charged with preserving the lot’s natural landscape. And a new addition would need to be architecturally aligned with the original building, while the project as a whole needed to blend aesthetically with the neighbors.

“Renovating an existing historic building and doing a sustainable project, those two goals are not contradictory. We are always looking at renovations as an opportunity to minimize our carbon footprint because there’s already a lot of embodied carbon in an existing structure. If we’d torn down the original building and built completely new, we would have used a lot more energy.”

Peter Rust, Associate | HMFH Architects

Despite its challenges Dan’s Place became the first project completed and opened under the city’s new Affordable Housing Overlay zoning ordinance, which streamlines the process for affordable housing development, lessens some of the more restrictive requirements, allows more building opportunities, and makes possible the complex financial formula it takes to build affordable housing.

Finding Value

The neighboring homes and buildings are all done in wood frame, clapboard, and shingles, so HMFH retrofitted the existing building and utilized wood-frame construction for the addition to reduce the project’s embodied carbon. And while a brick base pays homage to the original building’s entirely brick exterior, the new addition’s fiber cement exterior replicates the look of those wooden clapboards and shingles. A cornice on the new addition also reflects the dentil cornice on the original building.

“They don’t look like the same building, they weren’t meant to, but when you stand back and look at the whole building and how it relates to the neighborhood, you can see the connection,” Cowles says.

It was a process for the architects to determine what had value and what needed to be replaced. A south-facing porch on the original building that previous residents loved ultimately had to be replaced. The ornate stairway, one the architects say they’d never be able to reconstruct, was salvaged and refurbished and is now a stunning feature of the renovated building. The existing front doors became interior doors. And some of the original wood flooring was reclaimed, refinished, and used as wood paneling in the community rooms.

“In terms of carbon footprint, reusing existing materials doesn’t make a huge difference, but it makes a symbolic difference. I loved the opportunity to work with details I don’t typically get to, refurbishing original materials and working through unusual details. There’s value in retaining old buildings and using them as a jumping off point for new designs.”

Peter Rust, Associate | HMFH Architects
Connecting with Nature

Because the project was on an urban site with proximity to amenities and public transportation, parking wasn’t necessary to the design. This allowed HMFH to provide resident amenities like indoor bicycle storage and, with the carefully sited addition, to preserve the trees within the coveted south-facing green space, creating outdoor spaces for residents to enjoy.

New life was also given to the cloister-type wall that had lined the perimeter of the property since it was a convent. The beautiful masonry was improved with a mosaic done by a local artist, as well as intimate pockets and bench areas for residents to enjoy, simultaneously providing privacy and connection to the neighborhood.

“Rather than saying, ‘Oh, this doesn’t really work,’ we asked ourselves: How can we improve on what’s here and make it last for the next 75 years?” Cowles says. “If, for example, we were going to jackhammer the foundation to run new piping, it needed to have minimal impact, but we also weren’t going to lay just one new little pipe—we were going to make the building better for the future.”

Another challenge HMFH’s team faced was finding space on the ground—or rather, under the ground—for an infiltration system with a series of chambers that capture and store stormwater runoff to reduce impact on sewers during significant weather events.

“Any place you dig on the site, you’re either going to have building foundation, tree roots, or infiltration system. There’s nothing left,” Rust says.

Even HMFH’s roof design took nature into consideration, maximizing open roof space by concentrating all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment in certain areas to provide ample space for a PV solar array that generates more than half of the energy required to power the complex annually.

Designing for the Future

Architecturally, the project had unique programming—it was something CHA hadn’t done before, creating studio units for people coming out of homelessness while maximizing resident amenities, gathering and meeting spaces, and office spaces for support services, all of which you wouldn’t find in traditional affordable housing.

Between the original building’s 37 renovated units and the addition’s 25 new units, Dan’s Place now houses 62 residents in completely self-sufficient, move-in ready studio apartments featuring modern kitchens, private baths, high ceilings, tall windows, furniture, and household items.

The design of Dan’s Place followed passive house principles. HMFH installed triple-glazed, high-performance uPVC casement windows from INTUS Windows in the new addition, while retaining the existing windows in the original building. And with Cambridge’s typical northeastern climate—cold, dry winters and warm, humid summers, the windows also needed to be operable, allowing residents the flexibility to open their windows.

Creating an airtight exterior envelope was equally important but challenging because HMFH faced the ever-present question of how to balance renovating the old while designing the new.

“With new builds you can install a thick layer of insulation and you’re done. But when you’re dealing with an existing masonry building, you want to keep it aesthetically the same, but you can’t do that,” Rust says.

HMFH’s solution was to install spray foam insulation on the inside face of the existing masonry wall, while in the addition, high-performance, high R-value ROCKWOOL Comfortbatt insulation was used for its LBC Red List–free and GREENGUARD Gold certifications.

Dan’s Place is a quiet space filled with natural light and clean air where interiors featuring an array of natural, sustainable, and durable materials create a cozy and domestic aesthetic that’s easy to maintain. The building is a modern take on affordable housing that prioritizes residents’ health, safety, and comfort.

“We want those in the industry to know it is possible to create decent housing for a relatively large number of people on a dense site while providing comforts like natural light and views.”

Peter Rust, Associate | HMFH Architects

HMFH Bus Tour 2025

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

HMFH Bus Tour 2025

A long-standing tradition, HMFH’s annual bus tour is a highly anticipated event in which we travel as a firm to project sites to see several of our schools in construction. This year’s stops included Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in Taunton, MA, and the newly completed Arlington High School in Arlington, MA.

Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School

For our first stop of the day, we donned hard hats and safety vests to walk through Bristol-Plymouth, a 420,000 sf regional career technical school that is well into construction. We toured spaces for the school’s 22 CTE programs, getting a firsthand look at the various shops and labs taking shape, from the Community Health suite which will house a mock ambulance for hands-on EMT and paramedic training, to double-height shops and adjacent theory classrooms for Plumbing and HVAC.

As we proceeded through the student activity hub, the construction administration team highlighted interesting design elements including the different types of skylights. The cafeteria features organically shaped skylights designed to resemble pulleys, while geometric skylights illuminate the primary circulation zones. Second floor corridors open to the floor below, allowing natural light to permeate through the building and create a bright and welcoming environment.

Our tour followed a loop around the school’s central courtyard, ending at what will be one of two green roofs, a vantage point that offered an excellent view of the courtyard construction activity. The versatile courtyard space will be used for outdoor dining, socializing, and large-scale project work including the development of Bristol-Plymouth’s model house, a collaborative effort between the construction-focused CTE programs.

Arlington High School

After lunch in a local park, we bused back toward the city to tour the new Arlington High School, an occupied, four phase construction project that took place over four years. Having visited Arlington High School at various stages of construction during previous bus tours in 2022 and 2023 made it even more exciting to see these state-of-the-art learning spaces now completed and the final site work wrapping up.

As our bus approached the school, we were immediately struck by the number of students enjoying the school’s new entry plaza and green along Massachusetts Avenue. Brick detailing along the façade, curtain wall at the main entrance, and a series of columns designed as an homage to the original Arlington High School create a welcoming entrance and public space for students and the community alike.

We entered the school’s central ‘spine’ which houses public spaces like the forum step, café, and performance venues, and is the nexus between four programmatic wings for STEAM, humanities, performing arts, and athletics. As the organizing concept for the school, the spine not only serves as a functional solution to the 25’ grade change on site but also links the entrance and tree-lined green off Massachusetts Avenue with the athletic fields and Minuteman Bikeway at the lower entrance.

One of the most remarkable design elements is the school’s monumental lightwells which bring natural light deep into the five-story building while creating visual connections between floors. With counter-height workspace on the perimeter of the lightwells, they also offer coveted casual study spaces for students. They even provide acoustic benefits with colored felt baffles that create a pop of color where the lightwell meets the ceiling.

Our bus tour ended as we all reflected on the rewarding feeling of seeing projects come to fruition—the result of a truly collaborative process between client, consultants, design team, and the community each of our projects serves.

HMFH’s Office Renovation Reinvigorates the Workplace

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

HMFH’s Office Renovation Reinvigorates the Workplace

Designed by HMFH for HMFH, our renewed office space responds to evolutions in our practice, providing more flexibility in how we work, collaborate, and recharge while maintaining the vibrant atmosphere that characterizes the firm’s culture and designs.

In a hybrid work environment, collaboration happens everywhere and at all scales. Reflecting this shift, we reconfigured spaces previously allocated to individual workstations into a series of conference rooms and informal gathering areas where HMFHers can review material and color selections, mark up drawing sets, host project team check-ins, or relax and catch up with one another.

A welcoming kitchen and living room area large enough to accommodate firm-wide gatherings brings the comforts of working from home to the office while dedicated spaces for phone calls and focused work away from the bustling studios help the renovation strike a delicate balance between fostering a lively office environment and providing appropriate settings for all workplace needs.

Through this renovation, we had the opportunity to step back and take inventory of what worked well and what needed improvement in our office. A series of design charrettes and firm-wide surveys led by a team of HMFHers ensured the updated design captured the needs of all employees, from principals to designers to office administrators. The clear theme became flexibility, both in the variety of work settings as well as how each space is used.

The design includes big moves such as the shift from individual workstations to a hoteling model or the introduction of a dedicated quiet studio, materials lab, and model-making shop, and rethinks the functionality of each space with operable walls in conference rooms to support gatherings of different sizes and tunable lighting for increased accuracy in color and material selections.

HMFH’s firm culture shines through in the details. Brightly colored conference rooms with bold graphics ease wayfinding and inject pops of color into our environment, built-in display areas showcase 3D models or project accolades, and felt panel sun shades and planters along the office perimeter highlight the rhythmic windows and natural light that characterize the original 1960s building, designed by renowned architect, Josep Lluís Sert.

Ribbon Cutting for New Supportive Permanent Housing

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Ribbon Cutting for New Supportive Permanent Housing

On June 12th, local dignitaries, residents, members of the design and construction team, Cambridge Housing Authority, City of Cambridge, and community came together for a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the opening of the Daniel J. Wuenschel Apartments (Dan’s Place).

As permanent supportive housing for formerly unhoused individuals, the project provides 62 studio apartments, common spaces for socializing and gathering, and access to different outdoor spaces all tucked into a dense residential neighborhood of Cambridge, MA. With on-site wraparound services, Dan’s Place offers residents dignity, stability, and the support needed to transition out of homelessness.

“Our support of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) reflects our understanding that people may face many barriers to housing and that affordability is only one of them. Other barriers may require long-term support, which is why this type of affordable housing is so important.”

Chris Cotter | Housing Director, City of Cambridge, MA

The development of Dan’s Place included the renewal of a historic 1907 building and its conversion from SROs into studio apartments, and a 25,000-sf addition that further expands the number of affordable housing units on the property while fitting comfortably within its neighborhood. It is the first project completed under the city’s Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) zoning ordinance.

Thoughtfully sited and designed to maximize outdoor space and retain the existing large trees, the expanded facility offers residents access to a south-facing courtyard with different seating areas, a large, shared porch, and deck. A serpentine path brings residents and visitors through the courtyard to the glass, light-filled entry which links the renovated building with the addition. The project enhances the streetscape and its urban site with built-in benches along the perimeter of the property and mosaics by David Fichter, a local artist, that reflect the history of the neighborhood and its people.

The project is on track to receive Enterprise for Green Communities certification and offers residents a comfortable, healthy living environment full of daylight.

“Living here has been incredible. The location is perfect, close to the park and the T, and the renovations were absolutely worth it. The building looks great. It’s quiet, filled with natural light and clean air, and the staff have been so helpful. My neighbors seem really happy, too.”

Resident | Dan’s Place

Middletown Middle High School Groundbreaking

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Middletown Middle High School Groundbreaking

On Monday, June 9th, dignitaries, students, educators, and members of the project team came together to celebrate a significant milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony for Middletown’s new middle high school. 

This grade 6-12 building for 1,088 students will allow the middle and high school to function independently, catering to the needs of each age group, while maximizing efficiencies with shared space. In addition, it will serve as a welcoming community center with spaces like the multi-purpose performance venue, gymnasium, cafeterias, and media center available for public gatherings and events.

Students will have access to a wide range of spaces: flexible classrooms, spaces for creative production in music, drama, and visual arts, and four career and technical educational programs provide students with the skills they need to excel academically and after graduation. Clusters of classrooms, labs, support spaces, and centrally located project areas comprise smaller learning communities within each academic wing. Each project area is punctuated by a multi-story lightwell, bringing diffused natural light into all learning spaces. Daylight, healthy red-list free materials, operable windows, and views to the outdoors all help ensure and prioritize student health and well-being.

“This is such an exciting day for Middletown. Our students will have a world-class educational environment at the completion of this project. It is truly special to see the community coming together to make this happen.”

Jerry Haas | Principal, Middletown Middle School

Rising fourth grade students who will be the first to occupy the new middle high school when it opens in the fall of 2027 shared what the new school means to them:

“A new school means new experiences. We are looking forward to classrooms with new furniture and big windows to let the sunlight in. It would be fun to play in the new gym with brand new P.E. equipment. We are excited to have new opportunities in music, art, technology, and maybe even robotics. We hope the new art room has space to hang lots of artwork and paintings and the new library will have lots of new books. Lastly, we are looking forward to indoor and outdoor learning space, and the change to maybe even eating outside. We feel so proud to have a new school soon. Middletown must think we’re really special.”

Middletown Middle High School is the leading project in a district-wide master plan that will improve the standard of school facilities and foster equity across the district. The project team includes DBVW as consulting architect, Gilbane as construction manager, and Colliers Project Leaders as owner’s project manager.

Watch highlights from the groundbreaking here.

Josiah Quincy Upper School Wins Top Award from Learning by Design Magazine

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Josiah Quincy Upper School Wins Top Award from Learning by Design Magazine

Award

We’re pleased to share that the new LEED Platinum certified Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) earned a Grand Prize Award from Learning by Design for its thoughtful student- and community-focused design. The Grand Prize is the program’s top award, recognizing projects from across the country that demonstrate exceptional educational architecture.

“The school’s design masterfully integrates a multi-story educational facility within a compact urban site, demonstrating innovative use of space in a dense, historic neighborhood.”

Jury Comments | Learning by Design

Learning by Design’s Educational Facilities Design Awards highlight PK-12 and post-secondary learning environments that solve unique design challenges, promote sustainability, and enhance education for all. The awards jury panel, comprised of architects, educators, and leaders in the educational design space, commended JQUS for its thoughtful vertical programming on a tight urban site, varied outdoor learning environments and public-facing amenities, and efficient, low-carbon design.

As a Grand Prize winner, JQUS earned special recognition for addressing six critical aspects of a successful learning environment:

  • Design challenges and innovation
  • Sustainability and social impact
  • Interior architecture
  • Next generation learning
  • Effective space planning
  • Community needs

These principles are present throughout the design, which expertly weaves educational and sustainability goals in a high-rise facility that welcomes students and community members alike with spaces including a coveted green roof, a double-height, light-filled cafeteria, and flexible classrooms and project areas that accommodate a range of learning and teaching methods.

“Outdoor classrooms, gardens, and rooftop spaces promote movement, hands-on learning, and well-being. Thoughtful vertical stacking and interstate mitigation create a cohesive, high-performance educational environment.”

Jury Comments | Learning by Design

Reaching New Heights: Josiah Quincy Upper School is Boston’s First LEED Platinum Public School

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Reaching New Heights: Josiah Quincy Upper School is Boston’s First LEED Platinum Public School

We are thrilled to announce that our design of the new Josiah Quincy Upper School for the City of Boston has recently earned LEED Platinum certification! It is only the second MSBA-funded project, after our design of the Saugus Middle High School, to earn this designation. 

This significant achievement reflects the school’s high standards for efficiency, resiliency, and environmental health as one of the first projects to open under the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools initiative.

Fossil Fuel Free & Efficient

The building is powered entirely by electricity with efficient heat pump technology, meaning no fossil fuels are used for heating, cooling, or cooking in the school. A well-insulated envelope and optimal window-to-wall ratio minimize energy use from heating and cooling, while most academic spaces have north- or south-facing windows to create optimal daylighting conditions and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Daylight controls and vacancy sensors in classrooms and offices further limit energy expenditure by automatically dimming lights when there is sufficient daylight and turning lights off when a space is unoccupied.

Indoor Air Quality

With few buildable sites for a new school building in Boston’s dense downtown core, JQUS was conceived as a high-rise school on a constrained urban plot adjacent to two highways. From the outset, mitigating the effects of the site’s air pollution was key to creating a healthy and successful learning environment. An efficient displacement ventilation system, enhanced air filtering, and intakes located on the school’s roof and away from the most significant pollution sources assures that clean outdoor air is supplied to all interior spaces.

Design for Equity & Well-Being

JQUS is a middle high school with a 96% minority student body. The school’s auditorium, black box theater, gym, and media center are designed to serve all students in grades 6-12 as well as the community for after-hours events. Despite the constraints of the school’s less than one-acre urban site, the design fosters a connection to nature and prioritizes student well-being through the design of an accessible landscaped rooftop. Complete with an outdoor STEM classroom, gardens, and walking paths, the rooftop provides space for movement, hands-on project work, and mindful contemplation. Gardens with native species of meadow grasses and hardy wildflowers connect students with the local ecology and student planting beds provide hands-on experience growing food.

Resiliency & Water Conservation

All critical mechanical equipment is raised above the first floor to ensure the building’s continued operation and mitigate risk in a potential flood or large storm event. JQUS is designed to preserve groundwater levels with a stormwater detention system under the building that recharges stormwater back into the ground. In addition, the plantings on the roof help to slow stormwater runoff, reducing the chance that drains would be overloaded in a storm event, and low-flow fixtures throughout the building conserve about 240,000 gallons of water annually.

IRA Tax Credits Provide Powerful Incentives for Investing in Sustainable Technology Design

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

IRA Tax Credits Provide Powerful Incentives for Investing in Sustainable Technology Design

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provides investment and production tax credits for building owners who invest in clean energy systems. These credits are meant to incentivize building clean energy systems in newly constructed buildings, and in existing buildings transitioning to clean energy design.

Now, for the first time, tax-exempt and governmental entities that do not owe federal income taxes are able to file directly for tax credits. For decades these tax credits have been available to for-profit businesses transitioning to the clean energy economy themselves or assisting non-profit entities in that transition. This is a significant change for municipalities building or upgrading their school or other facilities.

HMFH has a long history of partnering with municipalities to achieve their sustainability goals. Now we are able to help our clients take advantage of the IRA tax credit. Recently we helped the Town of Westborough, MA secure a $1.8 million tax credit for the ground-source heat pump system at Annie E. Fales Elementary School—the first energy net-positive elementary school in New England—and we are working with Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School to file for tax credits related to electrochromic glazing, three different PV systems, and potentially for EV charging. HMFH is committed to making the design and construction of buildings with a minimal carbon footprint affordable for all cities and towns seeking to create healthier and more sustainable learning environments.

“The partnership with HMFH Architects has been extremely advantageous. The Town of Westborough is excited that the Annie E. Fales Elementary School is the first municipal school project in Massachusetts to receive the financial benefit of the IRA tax credits. We hope that this expanded tax credit program continues to offer non-profit entities the same financial benefit as has existed for for-profit entities to enable more sustainable building projects.”

Stephen Doret | Chair, Westborough School Building Committee

Planning for these tax credits—and managing eligibility requirements—can seem complex and burdensome, especially for municipalities already stretched for administrative resources. HMFH helps navigate the steps by explaining the opportunity for the credits during the initial cost/benefit analysis that informs design-phase decision-making. We then work closely with municipalities and construction partners to monitor the process from early conceptual design through post-construction when taxes are filed.

In a time where construction costs continue to rise, IRA tax credits can help municipalities get faster paybacks for sustainable systems they desire. Below are examples of general tax credit highlights:

The value of tax credits

 

Typical of tax-related regulations, there are number of variables that determine the potential value of the tax credits. The math is based on accruing percentage levels based on meeting various criteria. The percentages are applied to both the soft (design) and hard (construction) costs. The base tax credits starts at 6% of the eligible costs and this number can rise to as much as 70%. Most projects will end up close to a 30% tax credit, but if domestically produced content criteria are met that could increase it to 40%, and if the community meets certain income criteria, that could increase it to 50%. If funds to pay for the work are sourced from tax-exempt bonds, there will be a 15% “haircut” or reduction of the tax credit to reflect that original savings in financing costs.

Timeline

The process for tax credits typically runs in parallel with the design phase associated with a project’s schedule. While the timeline for every new building or new system is driven by unique requirements, it is important to remember that no credits will be paid until the clean energy systems are installed and in service and the final tax documents are filed.

Despite the opportunities for substantial tax credits, some municipalities simply may not have the up-front resources to take advantage of them. This does not mean they need be shut out of cost-saving opportunities related to investing in clean energy systems. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) allow municipalities to partner with companies who manage the design, construction, and operation of these systems end-to-end in collaboration with the design team. The contracted company offering the PPA then takes the tax credit for itself and sells energy (or an agreed to dollar value savings) directly to the municipality, often selling any excess energy generated by the building on the open market. It’s a profit generator for the PPA company and helps communities who may have early cash-flow challenges keep energy costs low. The true benefit of the IRA is that non-profits and municipalities can now take advantage of the full potential savings – both for installation and operation of these energy efficient systems.

HMFH can help guide communities through a process to determine appropriate systems and mitigate financial risk for building owners wishing to design more climate resilient schools with a reduced carbon footprint and lowered, long-term energy costs.

Sources:

  1. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/inflation-reduction-act
  2. https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-qualifying-advanced-energy-project-48c-credit